些細・瑣細|ささいsasai[1]atamadaka (head-high)
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Which spelling to use
些細些細 is the most common written form; beginners should normally choose it when writing this word.
瑣細瑣細 is a rarely used kanji variant of 些細, so learners will seldom need to use it.
Definitions
- na-adjectivetrivial; trifling; slight; insignificant
Conjugation
| Plain form | 些細（ささい） |
|---|---|
| Polite (desu) | 些細です（ささいです） |
| Negative (dewa nai) | 些細ではない（ささいではない） |
| polite (dewa arimasen) | 些細ではありません（ささいではありません） |
| Past (datta) | 些細だった（ささいだった） |
| Past negative (dewa nakatta) | 些細ではなかった（ささいではなかった） |
| Te form (de) | 些細で（ささいで） |
| Adverbial (ni) | 些細に（ささいに） |
| Conditional (nara) | 些細なら（ささいなら） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Synonyms & antonyms
- SynonymつまらないCasualColloquial. Focuses on being dull and uninteresting, though it can also mean not worth mentioning; 「些細」 simply says a matter is minor.
- Synonym瑣末さまつWrittenWritten/formal prose. Points to petty details, as in 「瑣末な問題」; close in meaning to 「些細」, used mainly in written style.
- SynonymくだらないCasualColloquial. Adds contempt for something worthless or absurd; 「些細」 merely states that a matter is small.
- Synonym軽微けいびNeutralNeutral. Describes slight damage or injuries, as in 「軽微な被害」; leans toward news-report language.
- SynonymたわいないNeutralNeutral. Suggests something childish and inconsequential, as in 「たわいない話」; stresses innocence and harmlessness rather than smallness.
- Synonym取るに足らないとるにたらないNeutralNeutral set phrase meaning not worth mentioning; stresses that something need not be taken up or attended to.
- Synonym取るに足りないとるにたりないNeutralA variant of 「取るに足らない」 with the same meaning, fine in speech or writing; versus 「些細」 it stresses more strongly that something is not worth attention.
- Related無意味むいみNeutralNeutral. Means utterly meaningless or wasted; stresses that something serves no purpose.
- RelatedわずかNeutralNeutral. Says an amount or degree is very small; stresses quantity, not importance.
- RelatedしがないNeutralNeutral. Describes humble, inconspicuous things, mostly someone's status or occupation, as in 「しがない会社員」.
- Related卑小ひしょうWrittenWritten/formal prose. Means lowly and petty; a written word carrying a derogatory nuance.
- Related無意義むいぎWrittenWritten/formal prose. Says something has no meaning; a written word focused on lack of value.
- Related甲斐無いかいないWrittenWritten/formal prose. Covers futile, ineffective things and also the not-worth-mentioning sense, still current, often as 「甲斐がない」; 「些細」 only says a matter is small.
- Antonym重大じゅうだいNeutralAntonym. Means major or serious; the opposite of insignificant 「些細」.
- Antonym重要じゅうようNeutralAntonym. Means important or essential; the opposite of 「些細」, which suggests something carries no weight.
Use 「些細」 for unimportant little things, as in 「些細なことで喧嘩する」. 「瑣末」 is a written-style alternative; call something boring 「つまらない」; describe slight damage with 「軽微」. For contempt, 「下らない」; for not worth mentioning, 「取るに足らない」; for tiny amounts, 「僅か」. The antonym is 「重大」.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
See also
